In the past, many have tried to design low cost holders primarily for use in vehicles, that may be supported from either horizontal or vertical surfaces, and that can serve to hold any of a variety of cup configurations, as well as canned and bottled drinks. To date, none of these cup holders has been satisfactory.
Probably the most widely used low cost cup holder to date has been a plastic device utilizing an unbroken ring some 23/4 inches in diameter that is located directly above a base member, with these being interconnected by a vertically disposed backbone member. The backbone member terminates in a hook that is located just above the ring shaped portion, such that the hook can engage the window slot in an automobile door. The base member is usually a flat disk some 13/4 inches in diameter, that serves to prevent a 12 ounce drink can placed inside the ring shaped portion from falling through, but which offers no lateral stability. Therefore, as the user drives down the road or parks in the car, this cup holder is intended to support the user's canned drink, small size bottle, or small size paper or plastic cup.
This well known cup holder has many serious disadvantages, including the tendency for the hook to become disengaged from the window slot as the drink is lifted, and for the device to fall off the door entirely should the door be moved, or should the car hit a bump while underway. Also, if a cup having tapered sides is placed inside the fixed ring, it tends to jam therein, making a two handed retrieval mandatory.
Probably the most serious disadvantage of this prior art cup holder has been the fact that it will receive only a very small variety of cups, properly supporting only one or two cup sizes, or else a canned drink. The use of any larger cup, can, or bottle size simply will not fit into the fixed ring of this very restrictive prior art design. As a matter of fact, the use of this earlier device entailed serious jeopardy to the clothing of the user as well as to the upholstery of the automobile. In addition, this prior art design would not receive a cup equipped with a handle, for the ring shaped member of this fixed size cup holder formed a closed circle that completely precluded a handle being on the cup.
It was in an effort to substantially improve upon this and other cup holders of the prior art that the present invention was created.